New Membrane Brine Concentrator Capable of Ultra High Recovery, PFAS Treatment, and More!

Dec 17th 2019

Saltworks has started commissioning what we believe is a first-of-its-kind plant, with much customer interest. The membrane concentrator makes extensive use of reverse osmosis – turbocharged.  The turbocharging relies on:

  • BrineRefine technology to remove scaling ions, enabling downstream processing at extremely high recoveries;
  • A novel real-time calcium sensor capable of operating on challenging flows (we developed our own after off-the-shelf sensors failed to meet requirements);
  • Ultra high-pressure reverse osmosis (RO) spiral wound technology, operating at 1,800 psi (120 bar); and
  • Expert engineering and production that integrates all technologies into a tidy, intelligent package capable of operating on variable industrial flows.

A photo of a Saltworks engineer inspecting pilot plant operations
Photo of a Saltworks engineer working in a membrane pilot plant

Together, these technologies can concentrate highly scaling brines to 130,000 mg/L total dissolved solids. This enables treating PFAS laden fluids, cooling tower blowdown, mine wastewaters, and other industrial saline waters. The plant truly minimizes brine volume sent to disposal or processed by more costly thermal technologies. In the case of PFAS, advanced oxidation or disposal may be employed downstream.

 

The plant was built with funding and technical input from a leading reverse osmosis membrane company.

 

Malcolm Man, Saltworks’ EVP, commented, “We have seen much customer demand from a wide range of industries for a proving plant that brings ultra high-pressure RO to the marketplace. Our clients seek to reduce brine volumes further, while using lower cost and lower energy off-the-shelf reverse osmosis technology. They now have a new option built into a plant that can accept and tolerate their scaling ions, chemistry variability, and robustness requirements.”

About Saltworks

Saltworks Technologies is a leader in the development and delivery of solutions for industrial wastewater treatment and lithium refining. By working with customers to understand their unique challenges and focusing on continuous innovation, Saltworks’ solutions provide best-in-class performance and reliability. From its headquarters in Richmond, BC, Canada, Saltworks designs, builds, and operates full-scale plants, and offers comprehensive offsite and onsite testing services with its fleet of mobile pilots.

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